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The Land of the Blue Flower

By
Frances Hodgson Burnett

Illustrated

Part One

The Land of the Blue Flower was not called by that name until the tall,
strong, beautiful King Amor came down from his castle on the mountain
crag and began to reign. Before that time it was called King Mordreth's
Land, and as the first King Mordreth had been a fierce and cruel king
this seemed a gloomy name.

A few weeks before Amor was born, his weak, selfish boy father whose
name was King Mordreth also had been killed while hunting, and his fair
mother with the clear eyes died when he was but a few hours old. But
early in that day she sent for her venerable friend and teacher, who was
said to be the oldest and wisest man in the world, and who long ago had
fled to a cave in the mountains, that he might see no more of the famine
and disorder and hatred in the country spread out on the plains below.

He was a marvelous old man, almost a giant in size, and having great
blue eyes like deep sea water. They, too, were clear eyes like the fair
Queen's they seemed to see all things and to hold in their depths no
single thought which was not fine and great. The people were a little
afraid of him when they saw him go striding majestically through their
streets. They had no name for him but The Ancient One. The lovely Queen
drew aside the embroidered coverlet of her gold and ivory bed and showed
him the tiny baby sleeping by her side.

"He was born a King," she said. "No one can help him but you."

The Ancient One looked down at him.

"He has long limbs and strong ones. He will make a great King," he said.
"Give him to me."

The Queen held out the little newborn one in her arms. "Take him away
quickly before he hears the people quarreling at the palace gate," she
said. "Take him to the castle on the mountain crag. Keep him there until
he is old enough to come down and be King. When the sun sinks behind the
clouds I shall die, but if he is with you he will learn what Kings
should know."

The Ancient One took the child, folded him in his long gray robe and
strode majestically through the palace gates, through the ugly city and
out over the plains to the mountain. When he began to climb its steep
sides the sun was setting and casting a golden rose color over the big
rocks and the wild flowers and bushes which grew on every side, so that
there seemed no path to be found. But the Ancient One knew his way
anywhere in the world without a path to guide him. He climbed and
climbed, and little King Amor slept soundly in the folds of his gray
robe. He reached the summit at last and pushing his way through a jungle
of twisted vines starred all over with pale sweet scented buds, he stood
looking at the castle which was set on the very topmost crag, and looked
out over the mountain's edge at the sea and the sky and the spreading
plains, below.

The sky was dark blue now and lit by a myriad stars, and all was so
still that the world seemed thousands of miles away, and ugliness and
squalor and people who quarreled seemed things which were not true. A
sweet cool wind blew about them as the Ancient One took King Amor from
the folds of his gray robe and laid him on the carpet of scented moss.

"The stars are very near," he said. "Waken, young King, and see how near
they are and know they are your brothers. Your brother the wind is
bringing to you the breath of your brothers the trees. You are at home."

Then King Amor opened his eyes, and when he saw the stars in the dark
blueness above him he smiled, and though he was not yet a whole day old
he threw up his small hand and it touched his forehead.

"Like a King and a soldier he salutes them," said the Ancient One;
"though he does not know he did it."

The castle was huge and splendid though it had been deserted for a
hundred years. For three generations the royal owners had not cared to
look out on the world from high places. They knew nothing of the wind
and the trees and the stars; they lived on the plains in their cities,
and hunted and rioted and levied heavy taxes on their wretched people... Continue reading book >>